Numerical Study of Fluctuating Pressure on Stilling Basin Slab with Sudden Lateral Enlargement and Bottom Drop

Abstract

A stilling basin with sudden enlargement and bottom drop leads to complicated hydraulic characteristics, especially a fluctuating pressure distribution beneath 3D spatial hydraulic jumps. This paper used the large eddy simulation (LES) model and the TruVOF method based on FLOW-3D software to simulate the time-average pressure, root mean square (RMS) of fluctuating pressure, maximum and minimum pressure of a stilling basin slab. Compared with physical model results, the simulation results show that the LES model can simulate the fluctuating water flow pressure in a stilling basin reliably. The maximum value of RMS of fluctuating pressure appears in the vicinity of the front of the stilling basin and the extension line of the side wall. Based on the generating mechanism of fluctuating pressure and the Poisson Equation derived from the Navier–Stokes Equation, this paper provides a research method of combining quantitative analysis of influencing factors (fluctuating velocity, velocity gradient, and fluctuating vorticity) and qualitative analysis of the characteristics of fluctuating pressure. The distribution of fluctuating pressure in the swirling zone of the stilling basin and the wall-attached jet zone is mainly affected by the vortex and fluctuating flow velocity, respectively, and the distribution in the impinging zone is caused by fluctuating velocity, velocity gradient and fluctuating vorticity.